


The Twinkling Child

by Kikansha



Series: Child Of The Starlight [2]
Category: Starlight Express - Phillips/Stilgoe/Webber
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-23
Updated: 2017-11-10
Packaged: 2018-08-24 03:10:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8354584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kikansha/pseuds/Kikansha
Summary: Marcus has become a member of the train yard, and life has seemingly returned to normal. However, the AV is ever changing.





	1. Ring That Bell

            The moment change seemed to end in the AV, it started again just as quickly.

            Marcus was now considered a member of the train yard - despite being human. At this point he could skate as well as any of the trainfolk could roll, even able to pull off a couple of tricks as well as he could. One could often see him dashing around on his own accord, rather than needing a tow behind Dinah like only a few months ago.

            On that topic, Dinah and CB were now considered to be the boy's parents. He referred to them as such, and the rest of the yard had picked up on it. The dynamic was kind of adorable - although most occupants of the AV refused to admit their reaction to the matter.

            Poppa and Belle were still Dinah's go-to babysitters until Marcus was old enough to stay home on his own. The age gap was massive, but Marcus liked the aging engine and coach enough. He and Poppa would play chess when they had the time.

            While Marcus was off their hands, Dinah and Caboose could often be seen on little dates in and around the yard. They particularly enjoyed stargazing on a hill not far from the yard limits and beside the tracks. They acted like a usual couple.

            However, what was _un_ usual to the rest of the yard was how quickly they decided to take it further.

 

            _It felt like any other night in the coach shed. Pearl was keeping up with Desperate Housewives, Ashley was on a smoke break, Buffy was doing Duvay's nails. Marcus sat on the floor in the kitchen, playing with his trains while Dinah cooked dinner. CB surveyed the scene in the kitchen from around the corner._

_"Momma, there's something stuck in my train." Marcus  stood up with his toy caboose, trying to hand it to his mother to look at._

_"Marcus, I'm cooking right now." Dinah explained before continuing to prepare the steaks._

_"Mooooom... Help me..." Marcus began to whine, briefly looking back at his father out of Dinah's eye._

_"Alright." Dinah finally turned and picked up the toy, trying to look inside to see what was stuck. From what she could see, it was something shiny. However, the miniature doors were too small to properly slip a finger into and grab it._

_"Maybe if I just..." She tapped the end of the caboose against the counter a few times, the object rattling around inside before finally falling out._

_It was a beautiful diamond ring._

_"Why- How did that get in there?" Dinah picked up the ring as Marcus giggled._

_"Daddy put in there!" Marcus seemed to think the entire situation was much funnier than most people would. CB conventionality slipped into the kitchen._

_"He's not lying," he started "but I think I should have put it on the dining car." A chuckle escaped his lips. Dinah paused before fluttering her eyes and grinning._

_"Who said you still can't?" She replied before holding out one hand. CB got down on one kneepad just as Buffy and Ashley peered into the doorway, only able to last a few moments before joyfully squealing. Marcus clapped while Duvay looked on in confusion._

The day had finally arrived.

            Ashley and Buffy (with _help_ from Duvay) had spent the previous few days to make the main shed look enough like a human chapel to look presentable. Many trains had already purchased gifts to give to the happy couple.

            However, one little coach was getting cold wheels.

 

            "Dinah, come on girl." Ashley patted her fellow coach's shoulder. All four coaches in the girls dressing room were wearing expensive dresses, Dinah's being the most elaborate of them all (for obvious reasons).

            "I know, I know..." Dinah whispered, still unsure of what she was scared about. She and CB both loved each other dearly, and she'd heartily agreed to marry him.  What was holding her back.

            "Wine? It might ease your nerves a bit." Buffy returned to the room with a glass of red wine in hand, offering it to the uneasy coach.         

            "No thanks... I'll slip something up." Dinah rejected the offer before sitting on the couch. The ceremony was due to begin in about fifteen minutes, and here she was trying to pull herself together.

 

            CB sat with the rest of the freight in the opposite dressing room. He, on the other hand, had opted for only a bow tie and to leave the rest of his bulky bits untouched. After all, he _was_ the red caboose. The bachelor's party the previous night had gotten rid of his will to try anything stupid - for now, anyway.

            "Good luck, CB." Dustin commented, adjusting one of his large shoulder boxes.

            "What he said, dawg." Rocky 3 followed up, his two brothers nodding in agreement.

            "No need for the good luck! The wife is gonna drag me down whatever I do!" CB responded as the freight shared a collective laugh.

 

            The clock finally ticked over to six, everyone attending already in their seats or standing in position. Marcus sat with Buffy and Ashley as CB entered the main hall and rolled to the front of the room, Poppa already waiting for him. The yard found it to be kind of a miracle that in the past, the old engine had performed weddings.

            Duvay entered a few moments later, throwing petals across the walkway as she slowly rolled along. She'd been waiting weeks for today - mainly because she was offered an _entire jar_ of cookies if she were to be the flower girl.

            At, last the time ticked over to 6:05. The wedding march began to play over the speakers in the hall, and...

            Dinah _didn't_ enter.

            Those in attendance were willing to wait a few extra moments for the coach to enter the hall, but five minutes soon passed with no sign of her. Ashley ran back to the girls dressing rooms, only finding the absence of Dinah and returning with a shake of her head. Poppa put on a worried face and adjusted his glasses.

            "Alright y'all, this wedding's gone off track. Everybody split up!" He instructed before sitting down on a stool to rest his legs.

 

            Marcus had been left with Duvay to go off on their own search, seeing as they both could skate and knew their way around the yard now. However, Duvay was more interested in eating the cookies at the snack bar than looking. Despite Marcus pestering, he was unable to convince her and set off on his own.

            He'd only gotten outside and glanced around the yard when he got an idea.

 

            Dinah sat hunched over in the old freight shed, only a few feet from where she'd first met Marcus on that fateful day. She wasn't sobbing because she wasn't ready to marry CB, it was because she didn't know what was wrong with herself. What was keeping her from going up there?

            Marcus peered into the shed that he'd once called home, quickly spotting Dinah inside. He quietly rolled up to her and got down onto his kneepads.

            "Momma?" He asked while hugging her from the side.

            "It's... It's nothing, Marcus." Dinah quietly cried as her son snuggled along side.

            "No, Momma. Something is wrong. Why are you crying?" Marcus retorted.

            "I don't... know, Marcus." The coach sobbed again, still bewildered by whatever was coming over her.

            "Are you scared to get married?"

            "N-No..."

            Marcus paused again before spilling his tiny mind.

            "Then why aren't you out there? What's stopping you? I wanna see you get married to daddy. Don't be scared!" He smiled.

            Everything seemed to click in Dinah's head at once. She stood up as Marcus pulled out the radio in his pocket to let everyone know his momma was safe.

 

            The time was 7:35 when Dinah, finally walked down the aisle, meeting CB at the front of the hall. Poppa cleared his throat to speak.

            "Ladies and Gentlemen, Engines and Rolling Stock, Boys and Girls. We are gathered here today to wed our dearest Dinah and Red Caboose." Poppa began before reading a fair amount from the book of Starlight - nearly putting Marcus and Duvay to sleep. At one point, Dinah looked over and pointed to sight to caboose, both of them sharing a giggle.

            "Now," Poppa finished his reading. "do you, Caboose, take Dinah as your wife?"

            CB laughed. "You don't need to ask, Poppa. You know what I'm gonna say."

            The old engine laughed, but shook a finger at the caboose, who sighed.

            "I do."

            Poppa nodded and turned to Dinah.

            "Do you, Dinah, take Caboose as your husband?"

            Dinah smiled. "I do."

            "With that, I pronounce these two as husband and wife in the eyes of the Starlight." Poppa finished. "You may-"

            CB pulled Dinah into a passionate kiss before Poppa could even finished. The hall erupted with clapping and cheering.

            Without warning, Marcus ran to the front of the hall and hugged his parents.

 

            Once again, change had come to the AV.

 

           


	2. Time With The Champion

Dinah was tempted to just call the honeymoon off and give herself time with her son.

            "Momma, why can't I come?" Marcus tilted his head at her, seeming to be on the verge of crying as she stood at the door with CB. The train they'd be hitching a ride behind would be leaving in just a few minutes, so Dinah had to make her goodbyes and explanation quick.

            "Marcus, sweetie. Mommy and Daddy need to rest for a while? We'll be back really soon, okay?" She stroked the boy's hair and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Be good for Rusty and Pearl, alright?" To her relief, the boy nodded without a fuss.

            Dinah felt unsure about letting the young engine and coach look after her boy, but they were all who was available. Poppa and Belle would never last a day or two with an active, growing child, and Buffy and Ashley had gone somewhere for a few days with Duvay (Dinah partially hoped they were taking her back to where she came).

            At last, Dinah and CB left the coach shed for a much needed vacation (and some _intimate_ time together, of course). Marcus waved until the two were out of sight, poking out and waving again when the next freight train departed - the dining car and caboose coupled to the end in train form.

 

            Although it has been a few months since the fateful Christmas Eve where Control had made his decision about Marcus, the young boy made Rusty keep to his word about telling him the _whole_ story the next time they met. About the day last year where steam had become victorious after all hope seemed lost.

            ...and then they were all re-enacting it with toy trains on the floor. Marcus didn't understand why the engine and coach would often stop and giggle at each other - he just wanted to keep playing trains. He never wanted to stop playing trains.

            Unless his rumbling tummy got in the way of it. If Pearl had learned anything about Marcus since he arrived at the coach shed, it was how to tell if he was hungry.

            "Do you want something to eat, Marcus?" The young coach asked, the boy nodding in return.

            "I want to have cake." He replied after a moments of thinking.

            Pearl paused. There obviously wasn't any cake in the shed at the moment. She'd have to make one if Marcus was going to be eating cake this evening. She looked over to tell Rusty to keep Marcus entertained for the moment, only to find him examining the toy engine that Marcus had when he first arrived. It quite resembled him, she'd add.

           

            No eggs in the pantry. _Great._ Oh well, it wouldn't take too long to get some, right?

            "Boys," Pearl took to her skates "I'm going out for a bit. Entertain yourselves while I'm gone." She laughed.

            "Bye Bye!" Marcus waved excitedly as Rusty and Pearl shared a quick kiss, the coach exiting the shed soon afterwards.

 

            By now, Marcus had popped in the DVD about the talking blue train and was watching quietly on the couch. Rusty, like most of the other trainfolk that had laid eyes on the human-made show about talking trains, found the portrayal odd. They almost had it right, but at the same time had it all wrong.

            "Percy's my favorite!" Marcus blurted out, pointing to a green tank engine on the screen. "Who do you like, Mr. Rusty?" The boy tilted his head.

            "Um..." Rusty attempted to hide that he hadn't been paying attention. "That's my favorite too!" He blurted out as the boy's eyes lit up. The young engine did his best to seem like he was tuned in to the ramble that followed.

 

            Rusty had gotten up to grab himself a cola, only to return to Marcus making himself a miniature fortress from cushions and pillows from the bunk rooms.

            "Whatcha doing, little guy?" He asked, peeking under the white sheet that enveloped the pillow-walls and TV.

            "It's my fort!" The boy laughed, snuggling to his teddy bear (appropriately dressed in an engineer's uniform.) "You can come in, Mr. Rusty!"

            "Why, I'd be honored, King Marcus!" The steamer laughed before crawling into the 'fort'. Marcus had clearly become skilled at making little things like this, seeing as he had to do so to survive up until Dinah picked him up last year. Now that he thought about it, it hard to picture the yard without Marcus now.

            The two laughed and joked, Rusty even paying attention to the show Marcus seemed to adore a little bit. He'd picked up on the green engine racing a helicopter, but that's all he could remember after the sudden rapping on the door made him lose his train of thought.

 

            Initially, Rusty had thought Pearl had returned with the eggs needed to make Marcus's cake.

            Flat-Top was the last one in the yard he expected to see at the door.

            "Yo, Rusty! You got a DVD player in there, right?" The flatcar asked loudly, as he always spoke.

            "Um... I think?" The engine tilted his head, trying to remember. Before he could speak another word, Flat-Top piped up again.

            "They got it!"

            On cue, the three Rockies barged into the coach shed, dragging Dustin (who clearly wanted to be in a quieter place) behind them.

            Marcus peeked from under the blankets at all the commotion. "Hi!" He exclaimed before realizing that not everyone would fit in the fort. Without a word, the boy set to work on making it bigger for everyone.

 

            "Flat-Top, I'm not really sure Marcus should be watching this." Rusty attempted to warn the brick truck. He knew Marcus was still young, and didn't think _Jackass_ sounded like an appropriate film for someone of his age - if only from the title.

            "Relax, rust-buckets!" Flat-Top laughed, setting his brick on its own special pillow. "If anything, he'll learn how to have a bit of fun!" The freight, sans Dustin, shared a collective laugh.

           "Here you go!" Marcus peeked back into the pillow fort, holding out of bowl of popcorn to the three Rockies. Dinah had already taught him how to use the microwave all by himself, and he was proud to have made something.

            "Nice one." The red boxcar added before taking the bowl, quickly digging into it with his brothers.

 

            Rusty gave the movie five minutes to see if it was really as bad as he thought. Unfortunately, the movie didn't last two without dropping some colorful language. Worse - Marcus wanted to watch the movie now. The young engine had to think fast.

            "Marcus, what do you say to a ride behind the _world champion_?" He suggested, watching the boy nearly leap from his spot, nodding excitedly and running for his skates.

           

            The night air gave Rusty, Marcus, and Dustin a bit of quiet as the rest of the freight watched their movie. The big hopped sat on the porch and played his harmonica as Rusty towed Marcus around the humanoid tracks that surrounded the building. Seeing as he'd won the race by circumstance, Rusty knew that an engine like Greaseball or Electra would be able to go much faster if everyone played fair. However, Marcus didn't understand it. For all he knew, he was riding behind the fastest engine in the world.

            Eventually, the move finished and the rest of the freight piling out of the shed.

            "Dustin, come on." Rocky 2 motioned with one arm as the group headed back to their own sleeping quarters.

            "I... think I'll stay here tonight." Dustin smiled at Rusty and Marcus, who were now sitting next to him on the patio benches and resting their aching wheels. Err, feet, in Marcus's case.

            "Whatever floats your boat, dawg." The boxcar shrugged and raced ahead to catch up with his cohorts.

 

            Now back inside, Rusty, Marcus, and Dustin sat inside the pillow fort - back to watching _Thomas The Tank Engine._ Marcus had whipped up microwave s'mores for the three of them, and Dustin was trying to give the boy an impromptu harmonica lesson. The boy seemed to be rather talented, managing to learn the first few bits of _Big Rock Candy Mountain_ in only an hour or so.

            At last, Pearl returned with the eggs, initially confused by the skate-marks and clutter now in the living room. All was soon explained, and the four of them made Marcus's cake. Although the coach didn't consider herself to be as good as Dinah when it came to cooking, Marcus still found the cake delicious. That was all she needed to hear.

            That's how things went for the next few nights. Dustin would come over in the evenings, and he, Marcus, Rusty, and Pearl would crowd into the pillow fort (which was ready to fall apart at the end of the week), watch movies, and eat snacks until Marcus fell asleep. Despite what all had originally thought, Marcus was an easy boy to satisfy.

 

            "We're home!" Dinah called out into the shed as she and CB stepped in on Sunday evening, setting down their baggage.

            "Mommy!" Marcus sprinted from the fort and hugged his adoptive mother tightly. CB laughed.

            "Can't daddy get hugs too?" He inquired, prompting Marcus to embrace him as well.

            Pearl, Dustin, and Rusty emerged from the fort, giggling at the spectacle.

            "Ah, didn't expect you, Dustin." Caboose smiled.

            "It's a bit of a story." The hopper laughed as he and Rusty began to tell the entire story of what had happened while the married couple was away.

            Not long into the story, Dinah's face went sour.

 

            Shortly afterwards, the freight shed was visited by a rather angry dining car.


	3. The Train Now Arriving

CB arrived to the coach shed one morning to find only Marcus in the house. The absence of the other coaches was something that he had come to expect - but the seeming disappearance of his wife puzzled him.

            "Mommy is out back. She said she felt sick." The boy explained before going to back to playing with his trains.

            Going around the rear of the building _did_ reveal Dinah, although bent over and evidently losing her breakfast into a garbage can. At this point, the Caboose didn't care about the look up her skirt that he would have slapped the rest of the freight five for a year or two ago. He'd seen it all - and more - already.

            "Alright, babe?" He asked while patting her shoulder from behind. He could feel that she was shivering as well, a clear sign that she was falling ill. The coach shuddered before coming up to look at her partner, almost seeming a little angry.

            "I-I'm fine!" She retorted before feeling the need to duck into the can again.

 

            Stranger still, Dinah seemed to be completely fine a few hours later - cooking a late lunch for Marcus and Caboose. It was like nothing had happened just a few hours ago - she was back to her usual self and talking to them at the table.

 

            Things went normal until CB found Dinah throwing up behind the shed again two days later. Once more, she insisted she was fine. Begrudgingly, CB agreed with her.

 

            "Where are the waffles?" Ashley inquired one morning, looking to make her own breakfast before going out on her morning train.

            "Mommy ate them all last night." Marcus replied, watching _Thomas & Friends _with Engineer Teddy perched on his shoulder.

            By now, both CB and the other coaches were becoming increasingly concerned. Dinah had been sick and suffering from odd cravings. On top of that, her mood seemed to change if a pin dropped. Evidently, something was wrong.

 

            At last, CB suggested that Dinah get herself checked over in the maintenance shed. On occasion, mechanical problems in train form could lead to sickness in humanoid form. The coach continued to say that she was fine, but eventually agreed , if only to prove that there was nothing wrong.

            Indeed, the shop workers found nothing wrong with the coach - even oiling her axle boxes and bearings before sending her on her way. Still, the coach continued to become sickly increasingly often. At last, Caboose had had enough, leaving Buffy and Ashley to watch Marcus while the two of them paid a visit to Wrench.

 

            The repair truck had established a small office connected to Electra's shed, a sign of she and the other components separating from their master (to an extent) after the engine's return to the AV. While Control initially disagreed with an unauthorized service on railroad property, he realized that there was no humanoid maintenance shop on site and quickly turned a blind eye.

            CB waited patiently as Wrench looked Dinah over, trying to figure out the cause of her illness.

            "Caboose, what exactly did you say was wrong with her?" She asked, testing the coach's reflexes.

            "Throwing up a lot, cravings, mood swings..." CB began to list off what he and the others had noticed throughout the past few weeks.

            "Is that so?" Something seemed to click with Wrench, only making Dinah and CB curious. The truck walked over and grabbed a few extra tools, checking Dinah a few more times in different ways - a peculiar focus on her midriff.

 

            At last, the truck removed her stethoscope and smiled.

            "I have some good news." She started. "Congratulations, you two."

            A smile crossed Dinah's face as Caboose became more and more confused.

            "Don't worry, she's developing healthy." Wrench assured. This didn't change CB's expression.

            "Who is?" he asked with a tilt of the head. Wrench held back a laugh.

            _"Your trainlet, silly."_

The caboose's face went pale. He gulped audibly and stayed silent for a few moments.

            "What trainlet?"

            Wrench placed a hand on CB's shoulder. "Caboose, Dinah's pregnant. You're going to be a father... to a blood-related child, I mean."

            However, her entire message didn't get across to the caboose.

            " _Lalala! Can't hear you! Wrong track! Wide smile! Mein Spiel!"_ He began to loudly sing with fingers in his ears, causing Dinah to burst out in laughter.

 

            CB stepped into the outdoors while Dinah and Wrench continued to talk things over. The first thing he saw was Flat-Top and the Rockies standing against the wall of Wench's shed, all smirking at him.

            "Hi, _dad._ "

 

            "AAAAAAAH!"

            Dinah returned to the coach shed, only to be nearly tackled by Buffy and Ashley. She'd expected it, really. The two lovebirds were quite the nosy duo. Now that she thought about it, they'd been dating for longer than she and Caboose had and still hadn't married. Odd, to her at least.

            "Oh sugar, congratulations!" The buffet car hugged her to the point where she expected her eyes to pop out. Duvay stared on in confusion from behind her aunt, fluffing the two pillows the adorned her head.

            "We didn't tell Marcus, don't worry." Ashley winked before pulling out a cigarette and stepping outside for a smoke. Dinah breathed a sigh of relief. Although she suspected their reasoning was to keep the news a surprise, she didn't feel Marcus was ready to know that he'd be sharing housing with a younger brother or sister soon enough.

            "On the subject of housing..." she thought.

 

            "...and what is this you need to bring to my attention. I'm a busy man, Dinah."

            Dinah and CB stood below the control tower, talking to the head of the railway himself. While he was likely busy managing waybills and business partners, they definitely had something to tell him.

            "Control, Sir..." the caboose started off. "I'll cut to the chase, me and Dinah need our own shed."

            "Why is this?" Control boomed in response.

            "You see, Marcus is growing, and..." Dinah paused, going red in the face.

            "I'm waiting..." The voice replied from the tower.

            "I'm pregnant." Dinah blurted out at last. Control seemed to be taken aback. The arrival of a trainlet in the yard was not exactly a common event.

            "I see..." He replied at last. "I'll see to make arrangements. For now, be off." The speaker on the exterior of the tower clicked off as he finished. Dinah and CB smiled at each other and walked back to the coach shed.

 

            "I'm gonna have my own room!?" Marcus's eyes immediately lit up as Dinah and CB told him the news. This was followed by as intense of a hug as a young boy like him could give. Of course, Duvay was jealous that she wasn't getting her own room, but being told that she'd have Dinah's old bunk all to herself was enough to subdue her.

 

            Through contracted companies, the new shed only took a few weeks to construct. Soon enough, it was all set for the little family to move in.

            "Don't forget to write, sugar!" Buffy called as CB began to drag the last of Dinah's things across the yard to the new shed, the coach following behind.

            "Buffy, it's a two minute walk. You can see it from here." Dinah motioned to the new shed, visible from the other side of the railroad tracks.

            "I know, but..." The buffet coach began to sob, quickly being comforted by her lover as Duvay looked on from inside the house. Of course, her mindset was more set on her new bed.

 

            Marcus thought his new room was the greatest thing in the world. It was a whole space all to himself - rather than having to share it with the other coaches and Duvay. Better yet - it was already filled with toy trains and railroad memorabilia.

            Dinah and CB watched from the doorway, seeing that the floor was already littered with Marcus's things.

            "He's grown up so much." The caboose chuckled and place an arm around his wife's shoulder, thinking back to that fateful winter day in which Dinah had found Marcus in that shed.

            The coach giggled to herself. "Maybe I don't want him to grow up." She smiled and nuzzled into CB's shoulderbox. After a moment, she looked up at him - the question not needing words. The caboose nodded.

 

            "Marcus, come take a look at this!" Dinah giggled after arranging a few of Marcus's toys. The boy quickly bounded over, kneeling on the floor next to her. "Recognize these?"         

            Dinah had specifically arranged a toy dining car, caboose, conductor figurine, and a coach of a smaller size. Marcus seemed puzzled at first, but eventually got it.

            "That's us!" He laughed before looking at the smaller coach, picking it up. "But... who's this then?"

            Dinah grinned at her son. "That's your new little brother or sister." She nodded and opened her arms for a hug.

            Marcus looked at the coach in confusion for a moment, but slowly smiled from ear to ear and leaped into his mother's arms. Eventually, CB joined in on the group hug.

 

            The AV was ever changing.


	4. Not All Change Is Good

_Marcus was screaming._

_Still, Dinah only continued to feed and shower the trainlet in affection. He'd been yelling and screaming for the past ten minutes, yet his mother didn't acknowledge his presence._

_Then she walked into the kitchen._

_Right through him._

_His room had been given to the trainlet, all of his belongings in a trash bin outside. He had just ceased to exist in the blink of an eye._

_Marcus began to cry._

Marcus awoke at last, crying into his mother's arms. While he had realized that it had only been a nightmare, he continued to bawl uncontrollably, unable to contain his emotions.

            "Shh... It's okay..." Dinah sighed, gently stroking Marcus's hair. The poor boy had become distraught with whatever he had seen during his slumber. It'd put her maternal instincts into overdrive - as she'd put it.

            Quietly, Dinah carried Marcus back into her and CB's room. While the caboose groggily complained from his side of the bed for a moment, he knew arguing with his wife right now was not the greatest idea. With that, the coach held her son tightly before both of them fell back into slumber.

 

            Dinah had been taken out of regular service for the next year - a few months for the trainlet to be born, and a few months to care for it. While she considered it a nice amount of time to relax, she knew the developing trainlet would be eating up most of her time. Still, it was what she wanted.

            "Oh, you're getting so big!" Ashley and Buffy would comment when paying visits to the family shed, poking and patting at Dinah's growing midriff. Their gossip and squealing would only intensify when her trainlet would kick. While receiving attention is what a younger, more naive Dinah (likely still dating Greaseball) would have wanted, the motherly, matured Dinah of the present wanted to be left alone.

            Wrench would regularly make housecalls, closely monitoring the pregnancy to make sure that the trainlet was developing properly and wasn't developing any issues. After all, fickle frame ran on Dinah's father's side. Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any prenatal problems.

            While CB was proud and supporting of Dinah (despite some mockery from the other freight), the coach had noticed some different behavior in her son.

            The night in which he'd woken up in the wee hours crying was becoming more and more of a common occurrence. Caboose insisted that the boy was doing it for attention, but Dinah believed that something was bothering Marcus immensely.

 

            Not far from her expected date, Dinah had an elaborate baby shower.

            While it has mainly been the two lovebird coaches, eager to mimic human traditions, setting up the party, Dinah was not the kind of person to deny a kind act. She had to admit - she often had a hard time saying 'no' to things that didn't harm her.

            The shed had been decorated in many light blue decorations, all put into place while Dinah was _conveniently_ at a physical with Wrench. Ironically, she'd swapped her usual attire for a red and white maternity dress, a gift from Belle after she and Caboose had made the announcement.

            The party was generally a hit with those who attended - despite Duvay eating many of the sweets left out before anyone else could get to them. A few games were played, and a cake was brought out by Buffy towards the end of the party.

            What surprised Dinah was the lack of Marcus's presence.

 

            "Marcus?" Dinah peeked into the room, seeing her son playing with his trains as usual. His face seemed to be rather gloomy - a concern to the coach. "I saved you a slice of cake." She set the cake on the nightstand before returning to the party, having a feeling that Marcus wanted to be left alone for now. She'd ask him about it later.

 

            "Oh Marky!" Duvay sang before prancing into the room, still wearing her skates. While initially intending to rope the boy into one of her rediculous schemes to get a jar of cookies atop the fridge (ignoring the bag of them in her hand), she could tell something was up. The young sleeping car sat next to the boy.

            "I see." She replied with a small giggle, popping a cookie from the bag and into her mouth.

            "See what?" Marcus replied begrudgingly. He still hadn't forgiven Duvay entirely for the events that transpired at the Christmas paty.

            "You're jealous, big dummy!" Duvay made a fist and bonked the boy on the head, causing him to yelp. She knew it wasn't hard enough to really hurt.

            "Am not!" Marcus set down his trains before retorting, having to wait for Duvay to chew up another cookie before talking back.

            "You are. Whatever's alive inside of your mom is getting more attention than you are, and you're used to being the child of the house." The young coach smirked as Marcus went red, stopping the fluff the pillows on her head. "Face it Marky, we're all replaced at some point. I'm just lucky to have been converted."

            "What?" Marcus tilted his head in confusion. Duvay laughed and tapped the little pipe behind the pillows in her headpiece - a pipe just like Ashley's.

            "I was born a smoking car, you dummy! There's not many uses for smoking cars anymore, so now I'm a sleeper!" She paused, and then smirked. "Like I'm gonna get anyone get any sleep." Duvay laughed, although Marcus remained silent. "That trainlet's probably gonna replace you, at least for a while. Make the best of it, Marky."

            With that, the sleeping car stood and exited the room, popping another cookie into her face on the way out. Marcus didn't say another word - only staring off into space for a while before picking his trains back up.

 

            Later in the evening, the party finally came to an end. One by one, everyone went back to their own sheds for the evening. Both Dinah and CB breathed a sigh of relief before getting ready to head straight into bed. However, Dinah still wanted to check up on Marcus.

            Cracking the door slightly, she could still see the untouched slice of cake sitting on the nightstand. Marcus sat in the corner, facing away from the door and rolling his favorite engine across the floor. He said nothing.

            "Marcus?" Dinah stepped into the room, kneeling next to her son as Caboose stood in the doorway. The coach placed a hand on her son's shoulder, seeing if she could get a response. Still, Marcus stared blankly at the floor.

            "What's wrong, buddy?" Caboose asked before stepping a little closer. What concerned Marcus was both him _and_ Dinah's concern.

            "Nothing..." Marcus finally whispered in return, still playing with the old toy engine.

            "Are you sure?" Dinah asked, a worried look crossing her face.      

            "Yeah..." Marcus set down the toy engine, although still looking away.

            "Alright then. Come on my little engineer, let's get you ready for bed." Dinah shooed Caboose from the room to get the boy into his pajamas.

 

            Marcus lay in bed again, staring up at the ceiling. He knew the usual dream about not existing after the trainlet came awaited him as soon as he fell asleep - despite his music box playing on the nightstand.

            _"Starlight Express..._

_Starlight Express..._

_Are you real?_

_Are you near?"_

Marcus knew the words to the old lullaby - he'd heard it many a time before and after being taken in by Dinah. But for the first time, he began to ask the question himself. At last, though hesitantly, he drifted off into sleep.

 

           Dinah couldn't bring herself to sleep. The fact that she didn't know what was wrong continued to bother her, no matter how hard she tried to set the thought aside for a little while.  CB didn't know either. They were parents who were clueless about their child's emotions. Sure, Marcus was a human boy being raised by trainfolk, but she thought she had gotten to know the boy through the past year or so.

            The coach promised to herself to ask someone about it before slowly drifting off into slumber herself.

           

           


	5. New Arrival

            The weeks seemed to pass at a snail's pace and as fast as a jackrabbit at the same time.

            By the time her delivery date grew close, Dinah just wanted the trainlet out of her. She hadn't been able to look down and see her feet in months. At that, she hadn't been out of the shed much.

            Caboose couldn't help be feel like he'd become his wife's butler. He was the one that had to bring her what she wanted almost 24/7. Buffy and Ashley occasionally helped to lighten his work load, but that on top of still being in regular service was beginning to take its toll.

            However, Marcus continued to retain the cold, silent demeanor he'd developed some time after he'd been told he was getting a younger sibling. It still puzzled both of his parents. He seemed so happy when they had first given him the news, and now it seemed that he'd lost all emotion.

            She'd gone back to the coach shed one evening to inquire to Ashley and Buffy about it, considering that they'd been raising Duvay for almost as long as she'd had Marcus. They had theories, but neither of them had a definitive answer. Despite this, Dinah assured herself that Marcus would eventually come out of his shell again. Caboose came off as depressed after the races, and he was alright now, right?

 

            "I predict it will be any time within the next week or so." Wrench set down her equipment and jotted down some notes. Both Dinah and CB breathed a sigh of relief, but both were aware that the real responsibilities would be kicking in soon. Further so, they had chosen to keep the gender of the trainlet a mystery that would only be solved upon birth.

            Over the next few days, the two did their best to cheer Marcus up. Caboose tried to play catch with him, and got permission to let him come along on one of his freight runs one day. They had a little ice cream party (courtesy of Volta). While these things clearly lifted Marcus's mood, he returned to the same, cold mood after a little while.

            Eventually, Dinah had Wrench look over Marcus to the best of her ability. However, the repair truck confirmed that nothing was physically wrong with him. With that, the pregnant coach remained puzzled - and slightly depressed.

 

            Marcus found himself on a skate around the yard one afternoon. Since the baby shower a few weeks ago, he'd been thinking about what Duvay had said to him.

            _"Face it Marky, we're all replaced at some point."_

            That's how Marcus really felt on the inside. Replaced. He had been thinking back to when he lived in the coach shed with Dinah and the others. He felt like he had been the center of attention and loved very much. Now everyone seemed to be focusing on Dinah and her trainlet - which would be born any time now.

            He perched himself on a wooden buffer, trying to collect his thoughts. Maybe he _should_ have stayed with his real mother when she came to find him. She would have loved him, right?

            "Why, if it isn't little Marcus?" A gruff voice laughed from his left, breaking his concentration. and getting him to look up.

            "Hi... Poppa." Marcus replied to the old steamer in a monotone voice, resting his cheek on his knuckle. He wasn't in much of a talkative mood.

            "You sound like somethin's got you down." Poppa sat down on a crate next to the buffer, willing to hear Marcus out. The boy remained silent for a few moments.

            "Maybe a little." He finally spoke up.

            "Then why don't you tell ol' Ramblin' McCoy what's on your mind?" The old engine smiled. Marcus seemed hesitant to tell his feelings, but eventually opened up.

            "I don't feel loved anymore..." He started, sighing. "You know, with mom-" He began.

            "Having a trainlet on the way? I know, little Marcus."  Poppa chuckled. "Go on."

            "You know, with the party and everything. Nobody seems to care about me anymore. Whenever someone comes over, they're asking about the baby and not bothering with me."

            The two sat quietly for a few moments, a train horn sounding in the distance as a train entered the yard. At last, Poppa spoke.

            "Change is an exciting time, little Marcus. Everyone's going to be caught up with what's current for a little while." The old engine smiled and paused, placing a hand on Marcus's shoulder. "But I assure you, Dinah and Caboose don't love you any less. Just wait and see."

            Marcus kept silent for a minute or two before getting to his skates.

            "Thanks, Poppa." He turned back at the steamer and smiled a little bit.

            "No need for thanks." Poppa's eye twinkled as he winked in return.

 

            Marcus awoke a few nights later to a commotion in the living room. It was still dark out, and the clock said that it was only about 2 AM. He felt that it was far too early to be up, but he rubbed his eyes and sleepily peeked out of his bedroom.

            "She's getting her little slippers on~" Someone sang. The voice sounded like Ashley, but he couldn't particularly tell.

            His mother was breathing heavily and occasionally wincing in pain. Caboose was telling her that everything would be okay.

            At last, the two walked out the door. The talking seemed to stop. With that, he climbed back into his bed and closed his eyes.

            Shortly after, Ashley peeked into his room, clearly seeing that he was trying to _get_ to sleep.

            "She's having the trainlet, Marcus." She smiled and closed the door, heading back into the living room.

 

            Marcus awoke the next morning, slumping out into the living room. The commotion last night had interrupted his sleep immensely, leaving him groggy and tired.

            Dinah and CB were not present when he emerged from the hallway - Buffy and Ashley having taken their places during the night. The buffet car smiled and almost leaped from her seat.

            "Aww, it's the big brother!" She squealed and pulled Marcus into a tight hug, Ashley looking on and giggling from the couch. "Oh, little Vistah's gonna love you so much!"

            "Vistah..?" Marcus sleepily asked.

            "Your little sister! The cutest little dome car this yard's ever seen." Ashley explained from the couch.

            Marcus didn't know much of what to say.

 

            It was later that evening when Dinah and CB finally came in the door, Dinah holding a small cloth bundle in her arms. Immediately the two other coaches rushed over and gossiped about what she was holding.

            "Oh my Starlight, she's adorable!" Ashley squealed before Dinah gave her an almost sour look - managing to say 'I want to be alone with my family' without words. The two lovers looked at each other before winking and heading out the door.

            Dinah quickly walked over to where Marcus was sitting, taking the seat on the coach next to him.

            "Marcus, this is Vistah." She said softly before slightly unraveling the soft blanket that surrounded the infantile coach.

            Marcus took a moment to stare at the sleeping trainlet, her tiny chest rising and falling. As if on command, she opened her bright blue eyes - something she'd gotten from her mother. Her stare was initially fixated on Dinah, but quickly turned to Marcus.  She seemed to tell that something was different about him, only looking at his face for a few seconds.

            While Marcus seemed to be fascinated by the impossibly tiny coach in his mother's arms, Dinah could tell something was still on his mind - and now she knew what that something was.

            "You know we're not going to love you any less, right?" She smiled and reached out an arm to pull him closer. "I promise that Caboose and I love you and Vistah equally." From across the room, CB nodded.

            Marcus stared at Dinah, his eyes seeming to have a thousand yard stare.

            Then he began to softly weep into Dinah's side. In her head, Dinah was thankful for the sleeping car-like bird that had informed her about her son's conversation with Poppa a few days ago.

            At last, Marcus had let out all of his remaining sadness, looking up at Dinah again with a small smile.

            "Can I hold her?" He asked at last. Dinah nodded, softly picking up the trainlet and placing the little bundle of joy in Marcus's arms.

            Vistah still kept her almost confused look, knowing that Marcus wasn't like her mother. Just as quickly, that look changed to a big smile. One of her tiny arms emerged from the blanket and grabbed at Marcus's nose.

            "She really likes you." CB laughed before sitting down on the other side of his son.

           

            The little family all giggled before sharing a collective hug. The house was certainly going to change, but not _all_ change was a bad thing.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a prolonged hiatus, I've finally gotten the COTSverse train rolling again! Hope everyone enjoys this new chapter!

            As far as Marcus had seen, Vistah was just a tiny bundle of milky pink cloth with a tiny face that stuck out at one end. Sometimes it looked at him funny and giggled when he made funny faces in return. Sometimes it would start wailing, and mom would have to hold it close until it stopped.

            Frankly, Marcus wasn't sure if he could consider Vistah a girl like everyone had said she was. She didn't look like a girl - she looked like a pillow or cloud with a little face. Despite what his previous state of mind had been a few weeks ago, he was less jealous and more _confused._

 

            Dinah had done her best to make time for both of her children. Vistah was still an infantile trainlet and required constant attention to remain happy. The two love-bird coaches had dropped of a trainlet sized set of wheels earlier in the week as a gift. Dinah thought the two were acting nosier than ever, but she could understand why.

            Marcus was another story. As she had to be holed up in the family shed most of the time to care for her trainlet, most of Marcus's _fun_ times outside of the shed were under the watchful eyes of Caboose (who had been temporarily relieved of duties by Control). Although she felt a little guilty for spending less time with her son, Marcus _did_ need some time to bond with his father.

            To try and make things a little less one sided on her children, Dinah tried to have Marcus involved in the raising of Vistah as much as she could. All while keeping a watchful eye, of course. Sitting on the couch as Marcus fed Vistah with a bottle was actually quite relaxing - as if a heavy load of passengers had just gotten off of Dinah's everything. (She'd begun to forget what carrying passengers even felt like, having not been on duty for months.)

            If Dinah had learned anything recently, it was that having the trainlet out of her was much harder than having it in her.

 

            ...and if Marcus had learned anything recently, it was young trains grew up, much faster than humans did.

            **_"MOOOOOOOM!!!"_**

            Within just a few months, Vistah had matured into the equivalent of a five or six year old child. She had already had her wheels sized and fitted, and rolled around in them naturally outside of the house. To some, she was already better than Marcus at doing little tricks as she rolled about, despite having the ability to skate embedded in her mind as all trainfolk did.

 

            Unfortunately for the rest of the household, saying Vistah was a momma's girl was quite the understatement.

            "Momma! Momma ups!" Vistah sobbed, standing next to Dinah with her little arms raised as high as they would go. Dinner sizzled on the stove as the lady of the house attempted to cook for everyone, the motherly tolerance of her daughter's temper tantrums shining through.

            "Vistah, mommy's cooking." She explained, adding milk to the mac & cheese and gracefully stirring the concoction in the pot. "Do you want _daddy_ to pick you up?" Dinah motioned towards the living room, where CB sat exhausted after a long freight run. Vistah was having none of it.

            "Noo! Momma ups!" She raised her arms again, seeming to cry even louder than she had before. Tears streaked down her face, her tiny legs giving out and causing her to fall on her rump to the floor.

            CB's ears felt ready to split.

 

            Following dinner, the family sat quietly in the living room. Marcus was focused on the TV program playing, sitting on the floor and occasionally moving the toy train sitting next to him. CB sat with Dinah on the coach, feeling ready to fall asleep at any moment. Vistah, having gotten her wish, was sleepily resting in her mother's lap.

            "That little outburst wore her out fast." Dinah whispered to Caboose, nudging him with her elbow.

            "Peace and quiet." he laughed in return, yawning and stretching his arms. "Time for bed. I have an early run in the morning."

            "Night night, daddy." Marcus turned and smiled, moving the toy train is circles in front of him.

            "Goodnight, kiddo." Caboose replied before stumbling off to he and Dinah's bedroom for the night. Glancing at the clock, Dinah clutched Vistah in her arms and brought herself to stand.

            "I'm gonna put your sister to bed. Bed time in fifteen minutes, Marcus." She said in a hushed tone, adjusting herself to keep upright while holding a quickly growing trainlet.

            " _Mooom_ , it's only 9 o'clock!" Marcus whined, although keeping his voice down as to not wake his sister. "The movie's just starting!"

            "We need to start getting you ready for school, honey." Dinah reminded, quickly silencing Marcus as she carried Vistah to her room, softly setting her down in her bed. "Goodnight, my little starlight." she kissed her forehead before to the living room, reminiscing about when she had first found Marcus a year and a half ago. So much had happened since then, yet it felt like it had only been a month or so.

 

            Dinah and Caboose sat in the principal's office at Apollo Elementary. Control had become much more lax than with other rolling stock when it came to them having to leave the yard, seeing as it was often necessary for reasons relating for their son. Sure, they got some funny looks, and their pictures were taken with mobile phones, but it was all worth it, they thought.

            "So, mister and missus..." Mr. Jacobs stared at the papers, still trying to get a grasp that he was talking to two _trains_ , something he'd definitely never had to do at any previous point in his career. "Funny... there's no last name listed here."

            Dinah jumped in her seat, her eyes darting around the room for anything that could make a good last name on the spot. Book? Lamp? Desk? Caboose? At last, her gazes landed on a yellow patch on one of Caboose's shoulder boxes.

            "Chessie. Dinah and Caboose Chessie."

            "Alright, onto contact information." Mr. Jacob pulled out another form and clicked his pen. "Do you have a home phone number?"

            Caboose reached towards his belt, pulling out a small yellow business card and placing it on the desk. "Just call the yard and ask for us. They'll redirect you."

            Mr. Jacobs nodded, rolling his eyes. "Fair enough." he flipped through his papers again. "Mr. Chessie, Marcus has never attended kindergarten or first grade classes. Is this true?"

            "That's correct." CB nodded. "It comes down to his situation with his mother and-"

            "I've heard all about Marcus's situation. You're all somewhat of local celebrities, you know. I've heard on the news that you have a little coach now?" Mr. Jacobs laughed.

            "Yes, our daughter Vistah." Dinah added, filling out some of the paperwork herself.

"Fair dues." The principal nodded and jotted down a quick note. "Now, are you sure you want to enroll your son in the second grade? We'll offer some specialized instruction for what he would have missed in the first, obviously."

            "Yes, that'd be good." Dinah replied, not wanting her son to seem like a fish out of water in a class of younger children. She'd done a lot of research on human schools in the previous few weeks.

            Jacobs nodded, writing down another line on the paper in front of him.

 

            "We're home!" Dinah announced as she and CB got through the door of the _Chessie_ family shed. The winter chill had begun to come down upon the yard.

            "Momma!" Vistah darted around a corner and quickly hugged her mother's legs, having been deprived of her for several hours while they visited the school.

            "Hi, sweetie." Dinah cooed and swooped her daughter into her arms, giving her a small kiss on the cheek before carrying her into the living room, just as a familiar duo of nosy coaches peeked their heads around a corner.

            "How'd it go?" Ashley and Buffy nearly spoke in perfect synchronization. The duo had proved very handy in looking after Marcus and Vistah whenever Dinah and Caboose needed to both be out at once. They often brought Duvay along to play with them as well.

            "Well, we got him all registered. He starts at the beginning of this coming school year." Dinah dropped the paperwork on the kitchen table and rested her legs on the couch. "Where's Marcus at?"

            "In his room with Duvay." Buffy crossed her legs, trying to watch the television. "They've been in there an awfully long time... I should go check on-" her voice was cut off by the sudden sound of a door slamming open.

            "...and now! The fashion show everyone's been waiting for!" A familiar voice proclaimed from around a corner.

            On cue, Marcus emerged from his room with Duvay. His face had been crudely covered in makeup from a child's beauty kit, his hair having been tied in a bedlam of pony tails. Duvay was wearing similar make up, although having to style around the plugged up pipe adorning the back of her hear.

            "Duvay!" Ashley stood up in dismay, her hands on her hips. Buffy snorted before breaking into laughter behind her, having taken the back seat in this situation. Dinah, Caboose, and Vistah watched in silence as the coachlet was scolded by her aunt.

            "Sorry Aunt Ashley. Sorry Marcus." She apologized, grabbing her things as she prepared to leave with her aunts.

            "Dinah, I'm so sorry-" Ashley attempted to apologize to Dinah, only to be talked over.

            "No no! It's not your fault!" Dinah stroked Vistah's hair, trying to convince the smoker that no harm had been done. Marcus stood motionless where he had been lead to, red in the face and seemingly ready to explode with embarrasment.

            "Marcus pretty!" Vistah suddenly exclaimed, laughing with her tiny voice to a crowd of silent rolling stock. A quiet moment passed before everyone shared a laugh. Marcus's lips remained closed, although he did show a small smile at his younger sister.

 

            Following the departure of Duvay and her aunts, Dinah made quick work of cleaning Marcus up, returning to the living room with him a few minutes. The family sat together on the couch, all a bit sleepy after today. It'd been rather eventful for everyone, albeit in different ways.

 

            After putting Vistah and Marcus to bed, Dinah lay awake, Caboose softly snoring next to her. Just as it seemed change had begun to slow down in their lives, it was about to pick up again. Marcus would be starting school in a few weeks, and her maternity leave was just about up. While it would feel nice to be a part of a train after so long, it also meant that she'd need to make additional arrangements for Poppa and Belle to look after her children.

Though her mind was racing, Dinah eventually drifted off into a peaceful sleep.


End file.
